Pseudocyesis: A Case Report

SUMMARY n Pseudocyesis is a disorder that is rarely encountered in psychiatric practice. It is characterized by numerous signs and symptoms of pregnancy, except for confirmation of the presence of a fetus. The aim of this article is to present a patient with pseudocyesis. A 24-year-old woman, married, childless, was admitted to gynecolgoy emergency clinic for metrorrhagia, after delivery that had allegedly occurred earlier that day. Gynecologic examination showed neither pregnancy nor postpartum state, therefore consultant psychiatrist was included in patient examination. Upon interview with the patient and her family, and in agreement with gynecologists, the diagnosis of pseudocyesis (undifferentiated somatoform disorder, according to ICD 10 criteria) was made, and the patient who was acutely restless, tearful, occasionally agitated, exhibiting referential ideas, was hospitalized at psychiatry department for treatment. The need of team work of gynecologists and psychiatrists in the treatment of patients suffering from pseudocyesis is emphasized.